Reading Area Community College seeks floodplain variance for Student Union renovation; board hears architects and engineers

Reading Area Community College (RACC) presented a multi‑witness case Feb. 12, 2025, seeking variances from the floodplain overlay provisions of the City of Reading zoning ordinance to renovate and expand the Student Union at 25 South Front Street.

RACC’s counsel and witnesses described a plan that places most new program area on a new second floor to keep critical electrical and mechanical systems above the FEMA‑mapped base flood elevation and to limit horizontal encroachment into the floodplain. The board accepted testimony from college officials, civil and structural engineers, an architect and a cost estimator and said it will issue a written decision at its March meeting.

Why it matters: The Student Union renovation is part of RACC’s 10‑year master plan and includes space for student clubs, meeting rooms, a fitness center, event space, a computer lab, a food pantry and support offices. Because parts of the existing first floor are below the mapped base flood elevation, the board must consider variance standards to allow the college to meet program needs while addressing flood risk.

Key testimony and technical points

- Project scope and funding: Counsel said the renovation is intended to support student success and that portions of the work are grant‑funded; delays or redesign to meet a strict elevation requirement, counsel said, could jeopardize grant funding.

- Floodplain details: Engineer Paul Schmoll (Berry Isetta & Associates) testified the site is in FEMA’s AE zone (1% annual chance flood); the base flood elevation shown on plans is 208.4 feet and the existing finished floor is about 207.98 feet — roughly 5 inches below the base flood elevation. Schmoll said raising the existing building to meet the ordinance would likely require demolition and rebuilding and would be considerably more expensive.

- Proposed approach: Architect Robert Reed and the engineering team described a two‑story design that puts approximately 13,420 square feet on a new second floor and only about 3,945 square feet of net new First‑Floor area; mechanical and electrical equipment would be located on the Second Floor or the roof. The design includes wet‑floodproofing measures that allow water to pass through nonessential spaces while protecting electrical and mechanical systems and using flood‑resistant materials.

- Cost estimates: Counsel and the architect said a one‑story option was estimated at about $13,000,000 while the two‑story scheme that raises programmatic space above the base flood elevation was estimated at roughly $15,000,000. They told the board that completely demolishing and rebuilding the facility at a higher elevation would add an estimated $7,000,000 in additional cost.

Board process and next steps

City zoning staff told the board they have met with RACC staff and that the city engineer will have final technical review authority for floodplain compliance as part of the land‑development process. No members of the public testified in opposition. The board accepted exhibits and sworn testimony from the college’s team and said it will issue a written decision at the March meeting and mail it to the applicant.

Speakers included counsel Joan E. London (representing RACC), Ken Dierstein (RACC vice president), engineer Paul Schmoll (Berry Isetta & Associates), architect Robert Reed (Speasle Architects) and a representative from Berkey Construction. The board emphasized the city engineer’s role in technical review and noted that the proposed wet‑floodproofing measures include floodgates, raising electrical/mechanical systems and use of flood‑resistant materials to limit damage during flood events.

The board did not render a decision at the hearing; the record remains open for board deliberation and the city engineer’s technical review.